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Bev Hodgson extended an invitation to me to attend a barbeque to hail the arrival of Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.

Her invitation, while gratefully declined because of a previous engagement, was the latest in a list of acknowledgments of people and organizations who have held media functions or who otherwise recognize my credentials.

A few I can list off the top of my head are, the Town, the Region, Rob Nicholson, Kim Craitor, Tim Hudak, the cops, the OPP, CBSA, ORC, OLG, NYSDOT, PBA, chamber of commerce, Ontario Beekeepers’ Association, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Environment, the Ombudsman, the mayor, councillors Whitfield, Shular, Lockwood, Annunziata, Steckley, regional councillor Shirley Cordiner.

But not Ann-Marie Noyes. Nope, I didn’t even get an invitation to her campaign kick-off barbecue a couple of Saturdays ago.

Before that in the spring she had a campaign dinner at the Ridgeway Legion. No invitation for that either. Same with her event at the Conservation Club in Stevensville.

So I guess Mrs. Noyes can excuse my refusal to accept her indignation at not being invited to the recent racetrack functions.

By the way, the Fort Erie Economic Development Corp. recognizes me. They didn’t invite me to opening day lunch, so I didn’t go.

I’ve been critical of Noyes — very critical. Now since part of her complaint with Jim Thibert, is that she (in her own mind, at least) has been supportive of efforts of the EDTC to save the racetrack, she doesn’t deserve such treatment.

I can only speculate that if I had not been critical of Noyes as a councillor for the past number of years, that I too would have had the wonderful opportunity to choke down a tube steak and listen to what she had to say.

4 Comment(s)

How do you rationalize comparing yourself to Noyes, Mike? Particularly in the context of comparing your snub to hers; her being the only member of council not invited to the recent racetrack functions, and you not being invited to her functions. The primary cause I have for questioning your obvious indignation of the situation lies in the fact that yours and Noyes’ roles are so completely different. Noyes was voted in as a councilor to collaboratively represent the people of Fort Erie. The purpose of a council is to work as a “team”, to actively represent the constituents’ wishes and find a common, workable ground on which to proceed when an issue’s disputed. Whether all agree or disagree with the issue at hand, a team is supposed to work together. The council is a unit and whether they share a vision or not, in the event of public representation, they must stand together if they are to properly perform their duties. The very fact that the entire council, save Steckley, opted instead to abandon the very foundations of what “team” stands for in order to pursue their own agendas is disheartening at best. The idea that our town council would betray one of its own leaves me with little faith in Fort Erie’s moral future. Even worse is the fact that you would turn the ordeal into your own personal dilemma and then try to play it cool with a comment declaring a snub to have worked in your favor. It touches the realm of pathetic. I believe it’s people like yourself that condone such shameless and self-serving behavior and I suspect that Noyes, still morally intact, recognized such characteristics in you and intentionally “snubbed” you with intent of keeping her functions creditable and reputable, which is a heck of a lot more than I can say for Martin, Whitfield, Annunziata, Lockwood, and our apparent fence-sitter, Shular. You on the other hand, I’m not sure who you’ve been talking to or think you’re representing in your opinions, but the people I’m running into nowadays, those who are still paying attention, aren’t impressed. I only hope there’s enough folks still hopeful enough to show up to vote in October. While many are saying that their vote won’t change anything, I say every vote submitted is one more person to hold our failing councilors and mayor accountable. Cudos to Noyes and Steckley for putting the tax payers voices first and for standing up for what they beleive to be right. And shame on you and whoever you think your views are representing for being so foolish as to pay a council to falsely represent our “best interests” as a community. Extend your research to other small towns that have already undergone many of the similar scenerios that Fort Erie is approaching now and look closely at how it’s panned out for the taxpayers. The Herald isn’t the only publication that receives comments, nor is Fort Erie the only town to be fought by it’s own constituents.